Aaron Gordon ready for last hurrah

Updated 10:18 am, Saturday, March 23, 2013

Archbishop Mitty High's Aaron Gordon slam dunks against Sheldon during the open division of the CIF NorCal Basketball Championships in Sacramento, Calif. on Saturday, March 16, 2013. Mitty won 70-50.

Archbishop Mitty High's Aaron Gordon slam dunks against Sheldon during the open division of the CIF NorCal Basketball Championships in Sacramento, Calif. on Saturday, March 16, 2013. Mitty won 70-50.

Photo: Mathew Sumner, Special To The Chronicle

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Gordon says he's motivated by Mater Dei's two wins over his brother's teams.

Gordon says he's motivated by Mater Dei's two wins over his brother's teams.

Photo: Mathew Sumner, Special To The Chronicle

Aaron Gordon ready for last hurrah

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If Aaron Gordon is to finish his lofty high school career at the very top, he and his Mitty teammates have one very steep mountain to climb.

Fittingly, it is probably the steepest for Gordon, whom many consider the finest high school basketball player in Bay Area history - and even Northern California history.

Mitty, the two-time defending state Division II champion, takes on two-time defending Division I state champion Mater Dei in the first CIF Open Division final at 8 p.m. Saturday at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento.

Gordon, a 6-foot-8 forward with guard skills who is ranked the No. 5 recruit in the nation, has dominated his past two state title games with a combined 50 points and 41 rebounds. But Saturday he'll face a program that features the state's winningest coach (Gary McKnight), has won a record nine state titles and has a player, Stanley Johnson, many consider his equal.

In the best story line of all, Mater Dei defeated Mitty for state Division II championships in 2006 and 2007. Gordon's brother Drew was on those Mitty teams, and the siblings are extremely close.

"This is the perfect ending," Aaron Gordon said after practice Thursday. "I couldn't imagine it any other way. It's Mater Dei, they beat Mitty two years in a row a while back, and we're both two-time defending state champions.

"After this game, there won't be any questions."

Of all the factors, the fact that Mater Dei bitterly ended Drew Gordon's seasons is what affects Aaron Gordon most deeply. He's a fierce competitor and devoted to his family.

"That (they beat Drew) is definitely a motivating factor," Gordon said. "I was there. My whole family was there, and it made for a long ride home. We all hate to lose."

To beat Mater Dei, Mitty and Gordon will need to contain Johnson, a 6-7 guard considered one of the top three juniors in the country.

Johnson and Gordon played together on the Oakland Soldiers last summer. They'll probably guard each other Saturday. Last week, Gordon locked up Sheldon-Sacramento's high-scoring 6-4 guard, Darin Johnson, holding him without a field goal and to six points. Stanley Johnson is three inches taller and much beefier. He's Mater Dei's leading scorer (19.2 points per game) and rebounder (8.9).

"He's really good in all aspects," Gordon said. "He's such a big guard and has a really good jumper. He's a great rebounder. He's a big challenge."

Said Mitty coach Tim Kennedy: Johnson "has a motor like Aaron. He can shoot the three, and he's an animal on the boards. He's a tough matchup."

McKnight said of Gordon, who had 29 points and 22 rebounds in Saturday's 70-50 regional final win over Sheldon: "He's as talented a player as I've seen at this level. He'll be in the NBA in a few years. He's that good."

Gordon - who has averaged 21.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 3.7 assists this season - will announce his college choice at the McDonald's All-American Game in two weeks. Washington and Arizona are reportedly in the mix, as is Oregon, according to insiders.

McKnight caught his words when he thought of his own super player, adding, "But I wouldn't trade Stanley Johnson for anyone."

Mater Dei (33-2) has plenty more to think about. Shooting guard Elijah Brown averages 17.5 points per game and is the son of former NBA coach Mike Brown. "He's improved more than any player on our team," McKnight said. "He's come up big in our biggest games."

It has helped that Mike Brown attends every one of Mater Dei's practices. "He never says a word unless we ask him," McKnight said. "And lately we've been leaning on him more and more. ... I think it was sort of a blessing what happened to him (being fired by the Lakers). I wish I could be paid $3.5 million to watch my son play basketball."

Much like Mitty, which had to replace four starters from last year, Mater Dei had to replace three, only theirs were all Division I players.

"For once, we came in as the underdog," McKnight said. "I'm really proud of these guys."

As is Gordon of his team, which at midseason was defeated by 35 points by the No. 1 team in the country, Lone Peak (Utah), on ESPN.

"We weren't all bought in at that point," Gordon said. "Once that got exposed and we realized what we had to do, we put it back together. Now we've taken it as far as we can. Let's see what happens."

Mitch Stephens is a national columnist for MaxPreps.com. For more, see the Prep Insider blog at blog.sfgate.com/prepsports. E-mail: mstephens@maxpreps.com Twitter: @MitchMashMax

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